Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-09


reprehensible. Your readers may bt
interested to know what the result,
are to-day of all this religious bull
, doing, souperism and expenditure o
money in the purchase of Converts p
There are at the present moment but
three Achill families among the
Souper portion of the islands popula
ton The other members of the fra.
ternity have been imported from
various districts in Ireland. OF those
numbers of Achillians who had joined
the Souper community in the past,
all, except the three families men
toned, returned to their former faith
when approaching death warned
them of the hour of repentance.
The political influence of the Souper
class-which, of course, was an anti
national one-has shared the same
fate as the proselyting fortunes OF the
mission. A few years ago there were
but eight persons in Achill entitled to
vote for members of Parliament. Six
of these represented the Souper or
English feeling, and two the Irish
National cause. To-day there are the
original six hostile votes, but the
Nationalist number has gone up from
two to-1500! With this
ENORMOUS GROWTH OF POLITICAL
POWER
there has been a cores ponding ad-
vance in intelligence and independ-
ence among the people. They are
still very poor, but they have ceased
to be slaves. My present visit to
Achill was to open splendid viaduct,
build across the Sound, which sep
arated the island from the mainland.
This bridge has cost over $50, 1000, and
"a large proportion of this sum has
been subscribed out of the money
which these poor but industrious peo-
pie earn in the summer of every year
by migratory labor in England and
Scotland. Other projects of practi-
cal kind are also being carried out on
the island, in all of which a self-reli-
ant spirit is being exhibited, the
knowledge of which will, am sure,
amply repay those generous-hearted
friends Of the islanders throughout
America, who have 50 often come to
the assistance of these long prosecuted
and down trodden people.
1t has not always been an easy mat
ter to make the American people
rightly understand our Irish land
agitation. Home rule is a much less.
difficult problem for the American
mind to solve, because it involves
neither social issues nor rights OF
property. But our strikes against
rents and coIp binations among tenants
have frequently staggered the friend
ship toward our cause of Americans,
who were under the impression that
our demands were made upon fairly
adjusted rents, and our combinations
directed against landlords, who were
but insisting upon recognition of the
terms OF Il fair and equitable agree
ment between themselves and their
tenantry. But invariably we have
had a tardy acknowledgement of the
justice of our proceedings, even from
an English appointed tribunal; and
it is then a pleasure to point the at
tention of our transatlantic friends to
so unequivocal justification of the
means and measures by which justice
has been Won. The land act of 1881
explained and vin1icated the Land
League agitation of 1879-'S0, and the
various measures passed and con-
cessions made in Westminster in con-
nection with
LANDLORD AND TENANT
since then show how necessary it was
to keep in active work the machinery
of agitation. Recently we have had a
most striking instance, both of afro
cious rack-renting and of justice
tardily wrung by popular organization
from the authors of this English sys-
tenn OF legalized plunder. Some
tenants on an estate in County Cork,
owned by Mr.. Horgan, struck
against the excessive rent levied upon
their holdings. They asked for a so
per cent. abatement. The demand
was secuted by the landlord as out
rageous. The tenants insisted upon
valuer being appointed by the Land
Commission to arbitrate, and by in
specting their holdings determine
what fair rent should be. Alter
some delay two valuers, representing
the Government Land Commission.
went to inspect the farms, and as the
result of their interference is at once
the fullest justification Of The advice
which the Land League leaders have
given to the people, and an instruc-
tive lesson to Americans upon the
fearful system of rack-renting, which
has worked such terrible evils in
Ireland, l will give your readers the
facts and figures OF the official
decisions in this case. The following
is the result of the arbitration of the
Government valuers:
Tenant. Old Rent New Rent